Beware of ‘Black Saturday’ on the roads

Saturday, July 21 at 2.30pm is the time you are most likely to have a crash in Britain this year, according to new research.

A ‘perfect storm’ of conditions including peak traffic volumes in July, the start of children’s school holidays and the great summer ‘getaway’ all happening at the same time.

The research was collated by leading British in-vehicle CCTV firm SmartWitness, using official Department of Transport data and its own insurance reports showing peak times for collisions in previous years.

More vehicle collisions occur in the summer months of July and August – 2,330 serious and fatal collisions in July and 2,148 in August.

This compares with only 1,578 in January and 1,544 in February – the safest and shortest months of the year.

Despite the fact that winter months generally bring more difficult driving conditions like icy roads and poor visibility, there are 27.5% more road incidents in the summer – 33,312 in July and August, compared with the winter 26,122 (January and February).

This increase is due to the greater number of motorists on the roads, with the vast majority of families choosing to take their summer holidays at this time. Incidents rise sharply during June and July, hitting a peak at the end of July.

Saturdays are the worst day for crashes during the summer when car drivers are nearly twice as likely (1.7 times) to be distracted or impaired in their driving compared to weekdays.

“We are asking motorists to be extra vigilant when starting out on their summer holidays,” said SmartWitness chief executive Paul Singh.

“The most common cause of road collisions is not poor road conditions or your car, it’s bad driving.”

Worst months for fatalities and serious injury on the UK roads

(Data from Department of Transport )

1) July 2,330
2) August 2,148
3) October 2,125
4) September 2,112
5) November 2,111
6) May 2,069
7) June 2,048
8) December 1,959
9 April 1,756
10) March 1,590
11) January 1,578
12) February 1,544